


Cradle (put your arms around me)

by principessa



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-30
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2017-12-25 03:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/principessa/pseuds/principessa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, come on. Stop brooding and put your arms around me, god. This shouldn’t be hard to figure out, Bruce.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1-10

**1\. holding hands**

Selina stared up at Bruce, vastly unimpressed and emanating judgement, her wrists encased in dull black handcuffs that he had slipped on moments before .

“Really?” she asked, one eyebrow raised. Bruce ignored her, still holding her thin wrists in his hand, making vague gestures of adjusting the cuffs; they both knew he was doing nothing of the sort, but Batman lived in a somewhat constant state of denial when it came to these things.

“Why, honey,” Selina drawled, “If you wanted to hold my hand you just had to ask.”

 

**2\. cuddling somewhere**

Bruce stared at the body in the hospital bed, brooding. Exploding buildings weren't usually much of a big deal for him - his body armor was state of the art, after all - but usually there weren’t - not civilians, but - other people in the crossfire. 

He had, naturally, whisked Selina away to the cave immediately, letting Alfred fuss over him only until he was fit to tend to her himself.

He was so lost in his thoughts - guilt, guilt always guilt - that he almost missed her mumble of “I can hear you thinking.”

Bruce started, focusing back on her face. She cracked one eye open to look at him.

“Well, come on. Stop brooding and put your arms around me, god. This shouldn’t be hard to figure out, Bruce.”

His figures softened and he crossed the cave floor to settle lightly on the edge of her cot and gingerly put an arm around her shoulders.

“Properly,” Selina enunciated. When he didn’t move, she pulled her arm out from under the blankets and dragged him closer, wrapping her arms around his torso. “Better, she declared, settling back against his chest with a weak grin. 

Bruce let out a fond huff and rested his chin on her head.

 

**3\. watching a movie**

Bruce lifted his head from his desk blearily, blinking fatigue from his eyes and checked his watch. It was past twelve pm; he could only imagine that he had nodded off while checking over paperwork. What had woken him? His mind was still sluggish, but he was certain that he could smell… popcorn?

Bruce rose from his chair with a yawn and crossed the study, opening the door into the hallway. The door to his bedroom was open, lights flashing from the door and a faint noise echoing down the hall.

When he made his way to the threshold of his room, he stopped and blinked for a moment, not sure if he was seeing one last dream imprinted on his eyelids.

Selina was sitting crosslegged on his bed, wearing a pair of stockings and a Gotham Knights jersey he recognized as Jason’s, a bowl of popcorn on her lap and a dvd playing on his television screen.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, amused.

Selina popped another kernel in her mouth, ignoring his question. “Y’know, I was gonna wake you up with a blowjob, but then I saw you had Magic Mike on dvd and decided to watch it instead. Why do you have this, by the way?”

“Must be one of the boys’,” he remarked, sitting down next to her and toeing off his shoes. “What’s it about?”

“Male strippers.”

Bruce stared at her for a long moment, receiving nothing in return but an offered handful of popcorn. Finally he sighed, shrugged his jacket off and stretched out next to her, helping himself to the food as he focused on the screen.

 

**4\. on a date**

For once, the sun was shining, and for the first time in the season the sky was actually blue. Bruce was a bit unsettled, to be honest, unused to anything other than the usual smoggy grey. But the weather was beautiful, with only a slight breeze keeping it from getting too hot, and the café they were sitting in was one of the nicer ones.

Selina smiled at him, dazzling in her sundress, and Bruce couldn’t help but think to himself, _I could do this more often_. There were people around them discretely - or not - taking pictures of the two of them, and the coffee was less than stellar, but as Selina chattered on about her cats’ antics and Holly’s classes at university, all thoughts of Batman and the problems that came with the cowl melted away.

Bruce smiled and nodded, happy.

 

**5\. kissing**

Bruce stared impassively at the console, eyes scanning several files at once. He had been stationed in the cave for several hours, obsessing over a case. The answer eluded him, and Bruce was stumped, refusing to leave until he had found a lead.

He heard a pitter-patter of footsteps down the stairs, too light to be Alfred or one of the boys’. They grew louder as they crossed the floor, until he felt warmth enveloping his back.

Selina draped herself over him, drumming her fingers against his shoulder. “Having fun?” she asked.

Bruce ignored her in favor of opening another file, cross referencing two -

Selina leaned over and hit a key, putting the screen in rest mode. Bruce opened his mouth to protest when she swung around his chair to sit in his lap. “You need a break,” she declared, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

The hands he had raised to reach for the keyboard once more froze when suddenly, her lips were on his, and when she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth he let out a low moan, settling them on her hips. 

She bit down on his lip, wrenching a noise from him again, and pulled back with a cheeky grin to admire the fat drops of blood that welled up. She grasped his face and kissed him again, long and playful, pulling back to plant kisses in the corner of his mouth, down his jaw, the side of his neck. 

Bruce relaxed in his chair, pulling her back up to his face. She had the time to gleefully croon “See? I told you so!” before her lips were once again otherwise occupied.

 

**6\. wearing each others’ clothes**

Tim Drake slumped in his coffee shop booth, staring into his too-hot coffee cup and cursing his existence. 

“Why won’t you cool?” he whined at the paper cup, half-hoping for an answer.

“You forgot to pop the lid, kitten.” His head shot up to see Selina Kyle leaning over his table, her eyes crinkled with silent laughter. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Sure,” Tim said, pushing his schoolbag off the table and cracking open his cup to let out the steam. Selina settled across from him, her own drink smelling strongly of caramel and two blueberry muffins held in a napkin, one of which she pushed towards him.

He accepted it with a smile before starting and looking at her closely. “Is that Bruce’s sweater?” he asked, incredulous.

“Maybe,” Selina grinned into her cup, fiddling with her shirt collar.

“No way,” he laughed, almost spitting out his drink. “Does he know you… borrow his outfits?”

Selina raised an eyebrow at him with a smile. “Honey, Bruce didn’t even know that he owned blue jeans until about a week ago.”

The ensuing fit of laughter had Tim clutching at his sides, and a few of their neighbours staring at the table. When he managed to catch his breath once more, Selina asked him about his classes, which prompted a long discussion about his college classes, his professors and classmates, and the two of them sat for a long while.

.

At dinner, Bruce was distracted, brow furrowed as he sat down. “Has anyone seen one of my sweaters lying around?” he asked the table in general.

Tim took a drink from his glass of water. “Nope,” he lied, completely straight-faced.

 

**7\. cosplaying**

Selina smoothed the skirt of her pink cocktail dress, patted the strand of pearls around her neck, and went to join Bruce and his children. 

As usual, the Wayne boys were impeccably dressed, Bruce looking especially dashing in a blue waistcoat. God, Selina loved a man who could pull off a good three-piece suit. She barely resisted biting her lip as she looked him over - the only thing that made her hold back was the idea of getting lipstick on her teeth, and seriously, eew. 

Dick looked up at her as she entered the foyer and smiled. Bruce’s eldest looked back at his father, then looked at Selina again before grinning. “You guys look like _Tangled_ ,” he laughed.

Bruce stared at him quizically and Dick brought up a picture on his cell-phone of the protagonists of the disney movie, trying to stiffle his giggles. At this point, Jason and Tim were staring too, and Bruce was fidgeting like he wanted to go change.

_Nu-uh._ Selina looped her arm through his, one side of her mouth quirking up. “Let’s get going, Eugene,” she said, “Let’s not keep Gotham’s Finest waiting.”

Bruce stared at her, confused, while the boys around them collapsed laughing.

 

**8\. shopping**

Selina smiled serenely at Bruce from under her (brand new) hat, crossing her legs to show off her (brand new) pumps. “Come on, Bruce, today wasn’t that bad,” she teased. 

Bruce huffed at her, both eyebrows raised. “We spent seven hours in the shopping district, Selina. Seven hours. That’s four hundred and twenty minutes. Four hundred and twenty minutes of shopping and carrying bags.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Selina chided. “We went to lunch for like, an hour and a half. Plus, if I remember correctly,” her smile turned coy, “You seemed very excited for some of the things we bought…” 

Bruce felt his cheeks heat as she nodded towards the pink bag under his chair, containing three new sets of lingerie.

Selina put her glass down and leant over the table, her red lips right over his ear. “If you finish your drink, we can go home and test those out right now.”

Bruce downed his drink in one go.

 

**9\. hanging out with friends**

Selina watched Bruce over the rim of her glass of lemonade. Bruce had actually thrown some kind of office barbecue. Except, instead of an office barbeque, it was the entire Justice League, in Bruce’s backyard. Dick, Jason and Tim were each off with their respective superhero friends, and last she had checked Damian was shadowing Cassandra and her friend. 

And Bruce was smiling widely, surrounded by grinning superheroes in shorts and t-shirts, Superman - whose name was Clark - with one arm slung around his shoulders, Wonder Woman - whose name was Diana - elbowing him in the ribs. 

Selina watched him try to conceal a wince as the princess ribbed him. Super strength, that had to hurt.

“Sickeningly sweet, isn’t it?” a voice to her left chimed. Selina turned around to see Zatanna, getting her own drink. Selina raised her glass in greetings.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him in shorts,” Selina replied, earning a chuckle. “And I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you in anything other than fishnets.”

“Thought I’d change it up a bit,” the magician smirked, “Spice up my life a bit.”

“It works for you,” Selina shrugged. “You wanna go sit?”

“Sure, why not.”

 

**10\. with animal ears**

Selina made a noise like she was choking, badly trying to disguise a laugh.

“What?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know how on Halloween some girls just wear lingerie and animal ears?”

“...Yes?”

“Well, you could take the cowl, and -”

_“No.”_


	2. 11-20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Selina pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “It’s called soft grunge, Bruce, god. Get with the twenty-first century here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my headcanon is that selina can never keep a straight face about cat puns and kinda rolls around afterwards  
> also i like imagining her in pink and i can't html /weeps
> 
> sorry for the late post!! i'll try and get part three up quickly too!

**11\. wearing kigurumis**

Batman entered the apartment through the bedroom window, frowning when he found it empty. He needed to get some information before patrol, and - who was he fooling, he wanted to fool around.

He pulled the cowl down and wandered out into the hall, looking for Selina. There was noise coming from the living room, so he made his way over only to stop and stare.

Selina was lounging on the sofa, bouncing Helena on her lap as the little girl watched the movie on tv, absolutely enraptured. It looked like a Barbie movie, but Bruce couldn’t be sure. 

In any case, the sight wouldn’t have been that strange if it stopped there, but the two of them were clad in some kind of overly large footie pajamas, with big hoods pulled over their heads with proudly standing cat ears.

“Hey,” Selina greeted, not moving to get up from her perch. “What brings you around here?”

“What are you wearing?” he asked, making a face.

“Pajamas. What, you think I sleep in lingerie every night?” 

Bruce bit his lip, which Selina took as _Yes, I do think that, why aren’t you sexy all the time?_ which, bullshit; she was always sexy, even when rocking her jammies.

At that moment, Helena noticed his arrival and launched herself at him, hugging his leg. When he pulled her into his arms, Selina grinned at him. “We’ve got one for you, too, y’know.”

Bruce’s left eye twitched. “Absolutely not.”

. 

He would deny it to anyone who asked, but damn, the fleece of the pajama suit was comfy.

**12\. making out (i’m not confident enough for this one so i totally cheated)**

Stephanie looked up from the table where she was setting out her notebooks - Tim was supposed to come and help her go over her lit essay; college was slowly but surely beating the crap out of both of them, but she had to admit that their study dates did feel a bit like the good old days. 

Damian was rushing down the hallway into the sitting room - ooh, he was messing up the carpets, someone was going to be in trouble with Alfred later -, stumbling as he turned a sharp corner and throwing himself onto the sofa, burying his face in the pillow and groaning.

“...” Stephanie stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to sit up and yell at her, getting up and approaching him tentatively when he didn’t. “D?”

Damian groaned even louder, apparently trying to smother himself.

“Did someone say something? Give me something to work with here, Damian. Are you okay, or is this some teenage boy thing, or what?” Steph asked, reaching out to poke him with one finger.

“I went looking for Father and when I went into his study, he was with Kyle, and they were on his chair, and -” Damian yelled into the cushion again.

It took her a moment to translate the mumbled reply, but when it registered with her what exactly had happened, she couldn’t help but laugh, smothering the giggles with her hand.

“This isn’t funny, Brown! It’s revolting,” Damian finally sat up, his face red despite himself.

“It’s the circle of life, D,” Steph shrugged, grinning. “Oh, man, you should’ve taken a picture. You know Dick is probably going to try and give you the Talk now, right?”

**13\. eating ice cream**

On the days that they patrolled together, it had become something of a ritual. 

At first, she would just follow him during his night-time activities, parting ways once he reached the manor. When things became better between them, she would occasionally - just occasionally, she had a life too, after all - join him, taking an active part in the patrol, and then go home with him as if it were normal. And in the end, it became normal, and no one was surprised when she was there in the mornings anymore.

After stripping out of their uniforms, cleaning up and changing into sleeping clothes (Selina wasn’t allowed to wear the kigurumi at the manor, sadly) she would persuade Bruce to come upstairs and have a snack rather than spending the night brooding. Selina recognized that after patrol he did have work to do, case files and other boring stuff, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him type away until 7 am.

So four-five-ish in the morning usually saw the two of them in the manor’s kitchen, propped up on the table or counters and eating ice cream, either in companionable silence or easy camaraderie. Bruce, forever the freak of nature, would always have two scoops of vanilla ice cream, no toppings, eaten out of a mug. Selina mocked him for it, for all that she would eat peanut-butter-cup flavor, straight out of the tub. 

If Alfred knew about their morning snack sessions, he didn’t say anything of it.

**14\. genderswapped**

Bea laughed into her champagne glass, charm dialed up to the max. Playing the ditzy but well-meaning heiress was always a pain, but a secret identity was what it was. At least she could enjoy dressing up for the part, no matter how tedious these society events and charity balls were. Vic Vale had already tried to pester her at the entrance, too. Honestly, the whole thing was a nuisance.

“Having fun?” a low voice said from beside her.

Bea turned, masking her surprise at seeing Sal here, with a grin on his face and looking fantastic in a suit. “Absolutely,” she replied with a dazzling smile, red lips parting over straight white teeth. She linked her arm through his and walked through the crowd, speaking casually. “How did you get in here, exactly?”

“Oh, I have my ways when I want to see a pretty girl in a pretty dress,” the thief replied, shrugging easily as he looked sideways at the crimefighter. “And a pretty necklace.”

Bea’s hand leapt to her throat before she could stop herself, touching skin where there should have been her mother’s pearls.

“Very funny, Cat,” she scowled, pulling her arm away to cross them over her chest. “Give it back.”

Sal laughed easily. “Oh, but honey, where would the fun in that be? Tell you what, you play nice tonight and I’ll give ‘em back when the party’s over. How’s that for being good?”

Bea sighed, her mouth a resigned line as she put her arm through his again. “At least try to be proper,” she ground out as she fixed her smiling mask back in place.

“I always am.”

**15\. in a different clothing style**

In all honesty, Bruce didn’t know that Selina had a job. Or wore glasses. So when he walked into the alternative looking bookshop, he was more than surprised to see her behind the counter, reading through what looked like a history textbook. 

She looked up as the bell went off, lifting an arched eyebrow at him. “Well, look at what the cat dragged in.” She managed to keep a straight face for about ten seconds before giggling into her hand. 

Bruce huffed a laugh as she hopped up to sit on the counter, legs kicking back and forth. “You look different.”

“To be fair, you mostly only see me in leather or undies,” Selina shrugged, pushing up her cat-eye glasses with a bright pink fingernail. 

Bruce took in the skeleton leggings, pink high-top sneakers, and overly large sweater that hung off one shoulder and down her wrists. Pink, patterned with - were those little bats? And flowers in her hair, too. Dick would love this look, he thought vaguely, although on Selina he had to admit it was cute.

“I’m looking after the shop for Holly,” Selina answered his unasked question, jumping off the counter to pick up a book that had fallen. “She has finals and couldn’t get off her shift.”

“How kind of you,” Bruce said, amused. “So what exactly would you call… this?”

Selina pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “It’s called soft grunge, Bruce, god. Get with the twenty-first century here.” 

At the face Bruce made she burst out laughing.

**16\. during their morning rituals**

Mornings in the manor were chaotic at best, a disaster at worst. 

Bruce was always first to rise, systematically, no matter what time he had gone to sleep. He would wake up, pull on a robe, and go downstairs for the darkest coffee imaginable. No matter how much Alfred nagged, Bruce never took breakfast, except for occasions when the whole family was together. Then he would shower, dress, and leave for work, all this before most of the house was awake.

Tim had to wake up early for classes, bless him, tripping over himself in a rush to leave on time, bookbag thrown over his shoulder and skateboard tucked under his arm, usually rushing through the kitchen to down a glass of orange juice before hustling out again with nothing more than a “Morning! Bye!”. He generally stopped for coffee once he was on campus, though - Wayne boys ran on caffeine. 

Selina liked watching Tim leave in the mornings, innerly laughing at his pain as she made idle small talk with Alfred over breakfast. Complimenting him on the coffee and scones, mentally making plans for the day, and most of the time gossiping about the children. Honestly, how had Bruce picked up so many of them?

Selina never stuck around at the manner long, though. Unless she managed to persuade Bruce to come back to bed in the mornings, she would thank Alfred, take a shower, and go back to her flat. Feed her cats, tidy up, and get the day started properly.

She by far preferred the mornings when she got Bruce to stay in bed, but a girl couldn’t have everything.

**17\. spooning**

At six am sharp, Bruce’s eyes opened in the dark of his bedroom. He blinked away sleep immediately, readying himself to get up and greet the day. He rolled over to get out of bed when a pair of thin arms circled around him.

“No,” Selina mumbled into his shoulder, molding herself against her back.

“Selina,” Bruce tried to argue, but he was cut off by Selina’s finger slapping around his face in the dark for a few moments before coming to rest on his lips.

“Shhhhh” she said. “Hear that? I’s the sound ‘o nobody giving a fuck if you sleep in. Sleep.”

“I have to go to work,” Bruce tried again, gently pushing her hand away from his face. “There are projects I have to finish, and -”

“I don’t caaaare.” Selina tugged on his shoulder until he was laying on his back and crawled on top of him. “You literally went to bed, like, two hours ago.” Bruce opened his mouth to talk again when she shushed him once more. “Shut up and spoon me.”

He didn’t move for a few minutes, and she hit his shoulder weakly, curled up on his chest. “Arms aroun’ me. We went through this.” Her mumbling was punctuated with a long yawn, that Bruce found himself imitating.

He sighed and brought his arms up around her with a tired smile, settling back into his pillow. His eyelids shut against his will.

**18\. doing something together**

It would be the first time that Bruce used his key, and he was illogically nervous. Selina had given it to him flippantly the last time he was over, the image of casual as he left for work. Bruce had spent the entire drive to work hyperventilating in his car, but she didn’t have to know that.

He shook himself and let himself in before he chickened out. The kitchen was empty when he walked in. “Selina?” he called, feeling foolish. He hadn’t even checked if she was home first. Stupid, stupid -

“In here,” her voice called from the living room, and Bruce heaved a sigh of relief before schooling his expression and following it.

Selina was sitting on the ground next to the coffee table, which was covered in newspaper and paint stains. Helena was sitting across from her, smearing her little hands through different puddles of paint and across her paper.

“Hey,” Selina greeted, looking up at him and blowing her bangs out of her face. “I’d get up to hug you but I’m covered in paint and that jacket is probably worth more than my flat.”

“No worries,” Bruce said, sitting down at the table with them, legs crossed beneath him. “Are you fingerpainting?”

“That is what it looks like, yes,” Selina said, rolling her eyes with a hidden smile. “Helena has an art project, yippee!” The little girl giggled and added another heart to her masterpiece.

“You say that like it’s a chore, but I know you’re having fun. I have kids too, you know,” Bruce teased, lips quirking up in a grin.

“Yeah, whatever. Put on a normal t-shirt and come paint with us.”

“Will you put it on the fridge?” Bruce asked as he left to change.

“Only if it’s a work of fricking art,” Selina called after him.

(His pitiful excuse for a painting did, in fact, end up on the fridge, right above Helena’s colorful house and stick figures and last month’s macaroni picture.)

**19\. in formal wear**

“Golly gosh, it feels just like junior prom!” Selina said sarcastically as they swept into the ballroom, Bruce’s children following behind them. Dick and Jason cracked up at the statement; Bruce gave them reprimanding glares and a look that said, behave.

“Well, at least, I think it does. I never went to middle school,” Selina added, shrugging her bare shoulders. The string of pearls around her neck sparkled in the bright chandelier light, and Bruce resisted the urge to trace the line of her collarbone. Later, he thought.

“You weren’t missing much,” Bruce replied, thinking back to his boarding school days. He’d had to wear suits to events then, too, but they weren’t as impressive as the ones he wore now. Selina had tried to get him to wear a Batman themed tie to the event but Alfred hadn’t stood for it. She had then tried to sneak it onto her person and get him to wear it once they left, but her dress didn’t leave much room for it. He didn’t doubt that she had managed in the end, though.

“You look lovely,” he said, leaning over to kiss her hand.

“Aw, little old me? You flatterer,” Selina grinned at him, her smile bright. “You aren’t so bad yourself, hot shot.”

Bruce smirked and tried to ignore the paparazzi taking pictures of them. “Care to accompany me on my rounds?”

“I think I’ll need a drink first,” Selina said bluntly, and Bruce laughed as he twined her hand in his.

**20\. dancing**

Batman stopped on the roof of the lounge, face impassive as he looked out on the city. He heard barely noticeable footsteps behind him before the presence made itself known. 

Catwoman smirked where she slipped out of the shadows. “Heya, handsome. What brings you around here?”

Batman checked his communicator for the time. “There’s an arms shipment due to arrive in an hour here.”

“In an hour? Well, I guess the early bat catches the rat.” She paused, realizing she had missed an opportunity for a pun, and backtracked. “Or the cat, depending on how you do things,” she added flirtatiously.

Batman strove to stay in character; she made no such effort and laughed under her breath.

“C’mon, Bats, we’ve got time. Look, they’re even playing our song.” The club they were stationed on was playing some sort of slow-dance music, the sound wafting up to the roof where they stood. “Dance with me?”

Batman opened his mouth to say no before stopping and thinking it over. He would notice if they arrived early for the deal; a moment’s distraction wasn’t too much for him to handle. 

He turned to face Catwoman and put his hands on her waist. She grinned at him, eyes narrowed behind her goggles as she settled against him, clawed gloves curled over his shoulders.

The sky and smog hid the stars, and sirens drowned out the music almost immediately, but he still liked to think they shared a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y eah i got nothing. hope you liked it! please leave a comment with what you think!
> 
> selina and helena's kigurumis: http://kigurumi-shop.com/Black-Cat-Kigurumi.aspx#.UlnECBCJfIU  
> bruce's kigurumis: http://kigurumi-shop.com/Halloween-Bat-Kigurumi.aspx#.UlnGOhCJfIU  
> bea's dress: http://www.thepricelessshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Strapless-Black-Silk-Formal-Gown.jpg  
> selina's dress: http://www.foxgown.com/uploads/product/2012/4/light-peach-chiffon-long-red-carpet-dress-with-one-shoulder-ruched-strap.jpg
> 
> (if you draw bruce, selina and helena in kigurumis i will love you forever i swear)


	3. 21-30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Make sure I don’t get cat hair on my wedding dress.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end of the prompt list!! woah!! first completed chapter fic yeah.

**21\. cooking**

“You know,” Selina drawled, not looking up from setting the table, “It wouldn’t hurt you to call before you drop in. Honestly. It is in fact a thing that normal people do.”

Bruce shrugged a shoulder, hovering in the doorway. “And that reminds me - I gave you a key for a reason, Bruce. Use it for Christ’s sake.”

That earned her a smirk, and Bruce walked into the kitchen proper. Selina picked up a cat where it was nosing at the takeout boxes and set it on the ground before she sat down, waving at Bruce to do the same. Helena giggled in her chair, waving and pointing at her father.

“Takeout? Again?” Bruce raised an eyebrow as Selina divided the boxes onto plates and placing them in front of everyone.

“Of course it is,” she replied, leaning over to cut Helena’s noodles. “It can’t freaking cook. And if you have a problem you can just get out, hey? Like you’re one to talk.”

 

**22\. in battle, side-bye-side**

“We have got to stop meeting like this,” Catwoman remarks as she rips a gun out of a thug’s hand, whipping him over the head with it. 

Batman grunts, decking another with a punch to the face, turning to face two more of them.

Selina rolled her eyes behind her goggles and kicked one of them in the chest, sending him sprawling into a dumpster. “You say the sweetest things, Batman, honest. Your words move me, truely.”

A batarang flew past her head to imbed itself in the gangster’s shoulder. “Oh now that was just overkill.”

Batman growled at her as he threw an attacker aside.

Selina laughed and smirked, glancing at him over her shoulder. “Bet you I can knock out more than you can,” she challenged, knocking a man out without looking. 

He would deny it later, but a side of Batman’s mouth quirked up at that, and he seemed to give the fight that much more attention and effort.

 

**23\. arguing**

Selina twitched, curling around the bundle of blankets Helena was huddled under. The bed was basically a nest of cushions, carpets and cats at this point, with Selina and Helena at the center. A shadow crossed over Selina’s face, and she frowned into the comforter before pulling herself up drowsily.

Bruce was standing at the foot of her bed, face dark and unreadable. Selina fumbled for her glasses and squinted up at him, tired and annoyed.

“Is there a reason you’re hovering like a freak?” she hissed at him, wary of waking up Helena. 

Bruce let at least five seconds pass before answering. “You went out tonight,” he accused, his voice void of emotion.

“Ye-eah, what of it?” Selina yawned. “You woke me up at -” she checked her alarm clock - “Two in the morning for this?”

“You went out,” he repeated, serious intonation, as if that was supposed to mean something. God, it was literally two am, couldn’t he come back later?

“Girl’s gotta eat,” Selina replied, settling back in the covers. Her eyes had drooped down despite her efforts, and she had almost slipped back into sleep before Bruce spoke.

“You have to stop this. Stop stealing, Selina.”

Her eyes shot open. “Excuse me?” 

“You can’t do this anymore.” He crossed his arms, ever imposing. The fact that he was standing above her made Selina feel inferior, and damn did that piss her off. She scooted to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over, standing up and marching over to him. She still stood at about his shoulder-height, but it was better than before, somewhat.

“I think that’s not your call to make, bucko,” Selina jabbed his chest with her finger. “What gives you the right, barging in here in the middle of the goddamn night, telling me what to do with my life? You aren’t the boss of me,” she whisper-yelled. 

“You have a daughter to think of,” Bruce said, his mouth hardening to a thin line.

“And you have sons,” she shot right back, “Several of them, and a daughter, and that doesn’t stop you from going out every damn night. What, you think that I would leave Helena alone? Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“She’s my daughter too, Selina. She needs someone to look up to, someone who isn’t a criminal -”

“Get out,” Selina snapped. “Don’t you ever try to tell me how to raise my daughter. You aren’t welcome here.”

Bruce stared at her for a long time, an odd expression on his face, before turning on his heel and stalking out. Selina stared him down until she heard the front door close, following him to lock it.

Afterwards, when she was back in her bedroom with the door closed once more, she let herself sag against the wood and rake her fingers through her hair. With a sigh she set her glasses down and crawled back into bed.

Helena mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over to burrow into Selina’s sigh.

Selina watched her for a long while before going back to sleep.

 

**24\. making up afterwards**

Things were rough between them for a while, that was a given. Selina was starting to have trouble keeping up with everything - she had to go grocery shopping and clean the kitchen and get new sheets and did Helena have an appointment with the pediatrician today or tomorrow? Bruce was always better with all the practical parts - and she couldn’t exactly ask him for help, could she. Not without proving to him that she was a deadbeat mom. 

She found herself calling on Holly or Tim (and even once, Jason) more often than not, and she ended up taking less jobs than she normally did. 

Honestly, had she really been relying on Bruce that much, that she was lost without him? That settled ill with her; for all that he loved kids he wasn’t exactly a great parent, from what the boys told her.

Amazingly, he made the step for her - she imagined that there had been many disappointed looks from Alfred that pushed him to action - and, well.

It was his best attempt at an apology, bless him. Stammering and brooding on her doorstep while she pursed her lips at him before relenting and letting him in. He was stilted and awkward, but she let him be, and when Helena made grabby-hands to sit on his lap she smiled and let her go. 

It was a start.

(That’s not to say he didn’t try and make it up to her in other ways, but she would rather keep those ones to herself.)

 

**25\. gazing into each others' eyes**

Her chin was resting on her fist, her mouth curled impishly, and she was looking him straight in the eye.

Almost nobody looked him in the eye anymore, intimidated by the glitter of Brucie or the influence of Bruce or the threat of Batman. Even his own children danced around him, quick greetings and nods and almost no interactions out of costume.

It was almost unnerving, but he also craved it. Her eyes gleamed, mischievously, challengingly. The weight of that gaze was boring holes into his disguise, cracking every mask he threw at her, leaving him disarmed and vulnerable, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Big green eyes, perfectly sharp eyeliner wings, and a look that meant she knew perfectly well what her look was doing to him, and that she liked it.

Bruce didn’t know what else he could do but stare right back.

 

**26\. getting married**

Holly squeezed through the balcony door to join Selina outside. “I don’t think you should be smoking in your dress,” she remarked lightly.

Selina turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow, and tapped her ashes over the side of the railing, letting the cigarette smolder for a few seconds before bringing it back to her mouth again.

“Superman is at my wedding,” she said bluntly, blowing smoke. “I’m surrounded by superheroes on my wedding day, Holly. I’m totally freaking out.”

“To be fair, you are marrying one,” her friend answered wryly. 

Selina let out a deep breath and then laughed humorlessly, bending over to press her face against the cold railing. “Shit, I’m getting married. I’m getting married. Jesus. Talk me out of this, Hol.”

“Please, after all the effort we went to to get Harley and Pam invited? No way you’re backing out of this now, Selina.” Holly pulled Selina up and put her hands on her shoulders. 

“Now listen to me, Sel,” she said clearly. “You’re going to finish your cig, go inside, let all the ladies come and try and touch your hair, and then you are going to go and marry your boyfriend and eat cake and dance and shit, and then afterwards you’re going to Paris and _you are going to honeymoon so hard_. Sound like a plan?”

Selina nodded, determined, before grinning and pulling the smaller woman into a hug. “You’re the best, Holly. Make sure I don’t get cat hair on my wedding dress.” 

Holly smiled crookedly as she followed the bride back inside. “Easier said than done.”

 

**27\. on one of their birthdays**

Selina muffled a swear as she pulled herself through her bedroom window, gracelessly falling in a heap on the floor. She stayed like that for a minute or so before re-arranging herself into a somewhat comfortable position, yanking off her cowl and goggles to toss them across the room.

A cat came and settled on her chest.

Selina let out a breathless laugh and a groan, letting it nip at her fingers. “Hey there, kitten. Guess you were hungry while I was in Blackgate, huh?” 

The cat meowed at her sadly and kneaded her stomach lightly.

Selina indulged her for a moment before pushing the animal off and getting up unsteadily, stumbling over to her bed to examine her ankle - her getaway had been less than smooth, she was getting off her game. 

She settled on getting it checked in the morning and sprawled out, knocking over a box that had most definitely not been there when she left. In any other case she would have thrown the damn thing out a window, quick as a cat, but in the darkness she could just make out Bruce’s scrawled handwriting, so she looked at it with only a vague suspicion.

Inside it was a new pair of goggles that just screamed _look at this shiny tech!_ at her, and he would have to test them out soon, but she was more interested by the piece of paper at the bottom of the box.

_Happy Birthday - B_

_P.S. I fed your cats._

Selina blinked and turned to look at the cat, now milling around the door. “Huh,” she told it, “I guess it is my birthday. I’m feeling warm fuzzies here, kitten. Ain’t that just the sweetest thing?”

The cat shot her an unimpressed look and edged around the door, flicking her tail behind her.

 

**28\. doing something ridiculous**

Bruce frowned at the screen, brow creasing and mouth tensing in frustration. “I don’t understand,” he ground out. “It’s totally illogical. I should be able to do this. Why can’t I do this?”

“You’re the world’s most famous detective,” Selina snorted, “Work something out. Are you really known in the whole world? Or just the western world?”

Bruce ignored her, jaw set as he typed in another command. When it was refused, he yelled and pounded his fist on the table. “Why isn’t it working?” He demanded of the computer, to no response.

“I can’t believe you’re getting this worked up over Zork.” Selina shook her head, vaguely amazed and mostly amused. “And you call me a dork, jeez.”

 

**29\. doing something sweet**

Bruce with a broken bone was the worst person to be around. He ignored his health already most of the time, but when a part of his body was in plaster it was decidedly harder to ignore, and his foul mood generally spread to those who stayed around him.

He was currently attempting to wash his hair one-handed, all while holding his left arm out of the water spray. He turned slightly to step into the water and slipped, not quite managing to save himself from falling.

I’m Batman, he reminded himself, sprawled on the floor of his shower. Terror of the night. He blew hair out of his face.

And then two small hands, thin arms were looped under his chest and he was hauled up to his feet, Selina stepping in behind him. 

“You’re useless at this,” she scolded, grabbing a bottle of shampoo from the rack. “Bend over so I can wash your hair for you.”

So he stooped over awkwardly and leaned into her fingers, allowing for her to take care of him for once. 

She pushed him under the spray, saying “Rinse!”, and her look was fond, if not exasperated, and Bruce let himself feel content.

 

**30\. doing something hot**

Selina rolled away from him, onto her back, panting. She was sweating, and felt her muscles burn, like after a good workout. 

(The best kind of workout, if you asked her.)

“It’s too hot for this,” she said out loud, breaking the silence of their breathing. Bruce made a noise of assent and fumbled for the AC controller.

Selina smiled in the dark as he crawled over to her, settling against her and pulling up the sheet. She tilted her head back, hitting his shoulder, and her lips curled up as she whispered into his skin.

“Put your arms around me.” 

The corner of Bruce’s mouth tilted up, and he complied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and it's over! it took way longer than it should have, but it's done. thank you for sticking around and reading the story, and please stay tuned! in the forseeable future i will be posting more batman works, mostly gotham siren - centric, with some minor appearances by other characters. 
> 
> tell me what you thought of the story, and see you all soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! This is my first time writing Bat/Cat so I'm really excited as to how this goes! I had a lot of fun writing these. Please leave a comment saying what you think!


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